What Are Some Of Your Calorie Cutting Tricks?

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Replies

  • BuildaBetterBody4
    BuildaBetterBody4 Posts: 89
    I totally cut out added sugar from my diet. The only sugar I get is from fruit or whatever naturally occurring food. I eat totally organic whole foods for the most part. Nothing processed. Less calories and more vitamins and minerals.
  • Monkey_Business
    Monkey_Business Posts: 1,800 Member
    Here is my secret, you cannot tell anyone. I have a patent on this so I do get residuals. Ready; I lowered my calorie input and raised my caloies output. I know, sound simple, but it has been working.

    No cutting out anything, except sitting watching the tv.

    Just one old man's opinion.........
  • rosehips60
    rosehips60 Posts: 1,030 Member
    So simple I almost don't want to mention it but don't pour salad dressing on the salad, keep it on the side and either dip your fork in before you take bite or dip the lettuce in, makes a little go a long way
  • Mariachicat
    Mariachicat Posts: 311 Member
    Using a teaspoon of olive oil instead of a tablespoon. If I start baking again, I'll use apple sauce instead of oil or butter.
  • WLG1974
    WLG1974 Posts: 90
    I always eat a huge HUGE salad of mixed greens, and a smoothie before any meal.

    I end up eating about a 1/4 of dinner now. Back before I did this I used to go back for 2nd's , 3rds and binge at night..
  • jjss5500
    jjss5500 Posts: 50
    I eat to live vs. live to eat, i.e. I eat only when hungry and when I do eat, I try to keep it healthy.
    On days when I exercise, I try not to eat back all of my exercise calories - goal is to eat back half or less of the exercise calories.

    Having said that there are some exceptions:
    I make sure I get a good dinner and a snack afterwards as I can't sleep when hungry
    I have cheat days when I go out over the weekends, and it takes a few days to get the weight back to what it was just before the weekend.
  • dtimedwards
    dtimedwards Posts: 319 Member
    Whiskey, neat.

    Beer I try to stick with hefeweizens or Guinness. Except when I drink other stuff... but hey, it's really hard to turn down a good trippel.

    Omelets- instead of three whole eggs, I use two whole eggs and two egg whites. Shifts some of the fat calories (not that fat is "bad") to protein calories (good for my training), and actually makes for a better texture.
  • albakittyRN40
    albakittyRN40 Posts: 2
    Glass of h2o before meals
  • akbp77
    akbp77 Posts: 20 Member
    I drink a lot of water, green tea, and Powerade Zero so that I'm not drinking my calories all day. If I really want coffee, I'll just have black tea with milk and a tiny bit of sugar.

    Sandwiches have turned into wraps, pizza is thin crust and loaded with veggies. If I want dessert, I have vanilla yogurt or honey roasted peanuts.

    Tonight, I was craving tacos (with all the fixings..), but instead I made stuffed bell peppers. I guess it's not so much about tricks for me as it is about making smarter choices.
  • chinook44
    chinook44 Posts: 55 Member
    Pre-plan eating out by checking the nutrition info on the restaurants website or MFP BEFORE getting there...and stick to it ;)

    Also stashing good, healthy snacks at work and in the car, just in case I get the munchies!
  • starrylioness
    starrylioness Posts: 543 Member
    Lots of water! i have upped my water intake quite a bit and I also don't drink any calories anymore. It's crazy just how many calories people can take in just from their drinks alone!

    I also try to snack on low cal things as well, like baby carrots, which are my favourite!
  • Izzytav123
    Izzytav123 Posts: 2
    Green tea first thing in the morning and 30-60 minutes after eating lunch and dinner. Have 2 snacks a day so 5 meals in all. Prunes prunes prunes!!! And oatmeal(: these will speed up your metabolism.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    intermittent fasting
    drink lots of zero calorie fluids
    ensure that I have enough cals (carbs) left at night to have my regular large meal and sleep well.
    I eat low fat items the majority of the time. I prefer to have higher volume meals and I get plenty of fat from other sources.
  • Karababy51
    Karababy51 Posts: 124 Member
    Moderation and portion control have been the biggest calorie cutting 'tricks' for me. I LOVE my kitchen scale! I still eat pretty much everything else I did before, I just weigh it all and only have one portion instead of 2-3. Plus, I have three 'meals' every 3-4 hrs. now and numerous healthy snacks in-between. It helps keep me from feeling famished and I make better choices.

    But, I have made a few other adjustments, including:

    1. I use non-stick cooking spray instead of oil when baking, frying or grilling 99% of the time.
    2. Stopped drinking regular soda all day long and now drink nothing but water, 1 or 2 Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry sodas a day and coffee with sugar-free creamer. I don't drink fruit juice anymore either. I'd rather have the whole fruit for the nutrients.
    3. If I want something sweet I generally reach for fruit, except for one piece of Dove Dark Chocolate almost every day.
    4. I still use sugar now and then, but I bought a box of the 1 tsp. packets for portion control.
    5. Substituted popcorn dripping with movie theatre butter for a healthy 94% fat free variety.
    6. Substituted the majority of white bread products I eat for 100% whole grain. It's actually more calories, but has better health benefits in my opinion.
    7. Switched to ICBINB Light from full fat butter. Yeah, I know a lot of people think that stuff is bad for you, and yes, butter is better for you, I agree, but meh. It's less calories and I still get my 'butter' fix so it works for me. I don't like sandwiches, toast, etc. without it.
    8. Switched from HV Ranch dressing to HV Ranch Light.
    9. Switched up my previous sugary cereal choices for higher fiber varieties such as Fiber One 80 Chocolate and just recently Kashi GoLean Crisp! Mmm, delicious with raspberries. I still love my frosted bite-size shredded wheat though, but that's one of the 'better' sugary cereals. The fiber content cancels out the extra sugar in my opinion, right? ;) Especially when I put raspberries in it too. Yummers! Plus, I enjoy hearing the little kid inside me giggling with glee whenever I eat it. :flowerforyou:
  • Cheechos
    Cheechos Posts: 293
    Not eating when I'm not hungry. Boredom eating can be a big problem for me if I don't pay attention.
  • Gidzmo
    Gidzmo Posts: 906 Member
    Not sure if these can be called tricks, but:
    5 meals a day and not eating between meals.
    Portion control. I have reduced the amount of rice, pasta, bread, pizza, fruit, cheese, chips, chocolate, nuts and milk I ingest at a time.
    Frequency. I eat chocolate, chips, cookies, cake, ice cream less often.
    Drink water instead of soda.
    Cook from scratch instead of eating premade.
    Stopped using sugar in tea and milk in coffee.
    Baking fish, meat instead of frying.
    Yoghurt/smoothies w/fruit and nut butters instead of ice cream.
    ETA: I eat better quality food, no low-fat low-cal anything, I'll rather reduce portion size.

    What about grilling or broiling meats? Or steaming veggies.
    Also, I have seen recipes on Pinterest for pizzas on cauliflower crusts. Have never tried it, so I have no idea of the taste.
  • RosanaRosanaDana
    RosanaRosanaDana Posts: 93 Member
    I like these ideas a lot!! Thanks and keep them coming :happy:
  • shartran
    shartran Posts: 304 Member
    Soup for dinner - fills you up!

    Hot herbal tea/water throughout the day - curbs the need to 'nibble' on items

    Tons of veggies on my lunch dishes and in my 'nightly dinner of soup'

    Sugar free jello (made with knox gelatin/flavoured herbal tea/touch of stevia)

    I spice up EVERYTHING - I discovered spices can replace SO many calorie induced sauces, etc., The hot ones curb my appetite too.

    Apple cider vinegar in water - curbs appetite too!


    I usually tell myself, if you want something (like nuts=calories galore even though they are healthy)I let myself have one teaspoon.

    I guess I'm a little extreme: I don't 'do' carbs: bread; pasta; when I eat fruit - it's limited;
    I don't 'do' sugar (only use stevia)
    I do not eat 'meat' except for fish
    I always eat three meals/day - Not eating only makes you want to eat and eat and eat
    Don't ever deny yourself food if your hungry...you'll just overeat later...
    Quality highly nutritious food
    Not eating packaged foods - 'food items' that are labeled as 'food' really aren't! Look at the ingredients in SOME items and you'll find that what your about to consume is chemicals/fat/salt and sugar...They (the food producers) make it taste SO great that you want to eat more and more and more!

    I'm sure I do more, but here you go...
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    This thread scares me!
  • sho3girl
    sho3girl Posts: 10,799 Member
    bump loving these tips

    massive fan of 0% fage make your own dips and add low fat drinking chocolate to make a choccy mouse
  • Snip8241
    Snip8241 Posts: 767 Member
    Very good tips.....thanks.
  • Snip8241
    Snip8241 Posts: 767 Member
    Not sure if these can be called tricks, but:
    5 meals a day and not eating between meals.
    Portion control. I have reduced the amount of rice, pasta, bread, pizza, fruit, cheese, chips, chocolate, nuts and milk I ingest at a time.
    Frequency. I eat chocolate, chips, cookies, cake, ice cream less often.
    Drink water instead of soda.
    Cook from scratch instead of eating premade.
    Stopped using sugar in tea and milk in coffee.
    Baking fish, meat instead of frying.
    Yoghurt/smoothies w/fruit and nut butters instead of ice cream.
    ETA: I eat better quality food, no low-fat low-cal anything, I'll rather reduce portion size.
  • Snip8241
    Snip8241 Posts: 767 Member
    Thanks
  • RosanaRosanaDana
    RosanaRosanaDana Posts: 93 Member
    Quality food is really important to me. I garden and visit local farms for foods I don't grow. I read labels and wont buy anything if I don't know what it is (i.e. calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, ammonium sulfate, DATEM, sodium stearoyl lactylate, potassium iodate and ascorbic acid). By the way, I found those on line as chemicals in many breads. If you were baking bread would you include them? Would you even find them in your pantry?
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
    Weigh it, log it, and put the container away before taking a bite.
    Pre-log and stick to the plan - or adjust the plan during the day, but always with the log.
    Hit the macros with the meals, and choose snacks to fill in any lagging micros.

    Ok, those aren't "tricks." I'd generally rather just work my butt off and eat all the foods, but I guess I do have a few "tricks" ...

    When I buy a sandwich or salad, I order it with double meat... Lunch gets me almost halfway to my protein macro that way, for not many extra calories.

    I mostly cook my sautéed foods in the skillet before adding oil or butter... That way it doesn't take as much fat to brown the foods.

    V8 makes a great soup. A quarter- to half-pound of deli meat with a little crackers and cheese makes a great breakfast or snack. A bag of frozen veggies browned in the skillet with some eggs makes a great dinner if you're low on calories for the day.

    Angel food cake is surprisingly low-cal... Pile on a couple hundred grams of raspberries or blackberries, and you have a nice high-fiber dessert.

    Only the really good ice creams, cheeses, chocolates and other snacks... Not only are they yummier, but they spoil you for the cheap stuff and render you immune to the vending machine at work. And because they're pricier, a portion control incentive is built in.

    I won't eat crunchy, salty snack foods unaccompanied by a diet coke. So I don't keep much diet coke in the house. That way, if I want it, I have to walk a couple miles to and from the nearest convenience store to get it - which burns a few extra calories and helps me avoid impulse eating.
  • bizgirl26
    bizgirl26 Posts: 1,795 Member
    No tricks.

    Pre-log as much as I can
    Portion control
    Everything in moderation
    I dont have to finish my plate-I can take half home
    Making healthier choices
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
    no cheese, bread, peanut butter, butter, salad dressing, dessert, alcohol

    :noway: no peanut butter?!?!

    High protein
    Loads of massive plates of salad
    Salad cream :love:
  • congruns
    congruns Posts: 127 Member
    chew baked goods and spit
  • Chevy_Quest
    Chevy_Quest Posts: 2,012 Member
    I make sugar free orange jello and put a can of crushed pineapple in it while it sets (pineapple in it's own juice, not syrup), then top with cool whip lite and it feels like I am indulging in a very delicious adventure :)

    Also, green tea throughout the day, and I agree with using spices and herbs to kick up the flavor of foods. I switched to evoo instead of butter and love Greek yogurt.

    Agree with balancing carbs, proteins and fats and stay away from high glycemic foods.

    Great topic!!

    I am marking because the orange jello pineapple thing sounds too awesome! :smile:
  • ReaganP13
    ReaganP13 Posts: 35 Member
    chew baked goods and spit


    Ummmmmmm........ Can't tell if this is for real but "ew" and "haha!" are my first reactions.

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